


Karma

by Kyarorain



Category: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-27
Updated: 2012-04-27
Packaged: 2019-07-13 14:14:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16019597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyarorain/pseuds/Kyarorain
Summary: It was the ideal plan - take away something precious to him and make them both feel the same pain she felt.





	Karma

**Author's Note:**

> What if Sissel (the fiancée) took matters into her own hands?
> 
> I have to warn you, this is a pretty depressing fic, and there's a description of suicide contained at the end which does happen in canon (the suicide, that is) Much angst abound because I'm a sadist who enjoys screwing with characters.

"I'm so sorry, I screwed up." A hysterical sob burst out of her throat and she buried her face in her hands. A series of violent shivers wracked her slender frame. "I only popped back inside for a minute to get the phone. When I came back, she was gone!"

"We'll find her," Jowd assured, wrapping his arms around his wife and clutching her tightly to his chest. Her fingers clutched at the lapels of his green coat. "Don't blame yourself, Alma. How could you have known somebody would come into the garden at that moment?"

"But it was my fault! I shouldn't have left Kamila alone!" Alma raised her head to look up at him. Tears were streaming in twin waterfalls down her cheeks. Her eyes had become red and swollen from crying. "I'm a failure as a mother." She lowered her gaze and bit on her lower lip.

"I know how you feel, Alma, but blaming yourself isn't going to help us." Cabanela placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, giving her a sympathetic look. "We've already got people searching for her. It's important that you try to tell us as much as possible. Have you seen anyone suspicious hanging around lately?"

Alma shook her head. Cabanela glanced at Jowd.

"I haven't seen anyone either." Jowd looked grim. Could it be possible that someone had been hanging around their house lately and he hadn't even noticed? He had been so distracted lately, dealing with the repercussions of what had happened on that day in the park, and maybe, just maybe he had missed some obvious clue that things weren't right. A stab of guilt ran through his chest.

"Oh gods... if anything happens to Kamila, I will never be able to forgive myself." Alma gripped her fists so tightly that her fingernails dug down into the soft flesh of her palms. Just who had gone into the garden and taken her young daughter away? A shudder ran through her body as she imagined a sadistic monster looming over her smiling child, completely oblivious to the danger, and picking her up.

Why would they have wanted to take her? Her stomach churned just thinking about all the horrifying possibilities and she wanted to throw up. Alma looked up into Jowd's eyes, filled with concern, and she wondered if he wasn't even feeling a little bit angry toward her. How could he not be? She had left their beautiful daughter all alone and now she was gone. Instead he was being so reassuring and gentle with her. Of course, it wasn't like Jowd to get angry very often, she knew, but this would have been one time when it was deserved, she thought.

An officer was hurrying toward them. "Detective Jowd!"

Everyone looked toward him, their faces lighting up with hope. Had she been found already? They waited with bated breath as the officer stopped.

"There's a call for you. They said they wanted Detective Cabanela present as well."

"Did they say who they were?" Jowd just knew it. He didn't need anybody to tell him it was the kidnapper. His heart started to thump rapidly in his chest. Maybe it was a ransom. That had to be it. They wanted money in exchange for his child though he couldn't imagine why he had become a target for kidnappers seeking money.

"They didn't say. They want you to come quickly."

"I have to take the call." Jowd let go of Alma. "I'll do anything to get our daughter back, I promise." His hand brushed against her cheek and then he was gone, hurrying to the nearest phone with Cabanela following.

Jowd took the handset and pressed it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hello, Detective Jowd."

The fact it was a woman's voice came as a surprise to him.

"Who are you? Have you got my daughter?"

"Such a pretty little child, isn't she? She looks so much like her mother."

Jowd clutched onto the edge of the table, steadying himself before his legs gave way. His vision became shaky for a moment. "Give her back... please, give me back my daughter! I'll pay you whatever you want, just... return her to us, I beg you!"

A chilling laugh flowed into his ear. "You are mistaken, Detective Jowd. It's not money that I want."

"What? Then... what is it? What do you want? Just tell me and I'll make sure you get it!"

"There is one thing I would like, something that I lost not too long ago." There was a long pause. "Of course we can't get the dead back, can we?"

His blood was like ice surging through his veins. Jowd's fingers tightened even more around the handset and he swallowed thickly. The dead, she said. Was this supposed to be some kind of twisted revenge? There was only one person whose death he considered himself to be responsible for. A death that had taken place not too long ago, just like the woman said.

"Ye gods... are you talking about... Yomiel?"

The woman laughed again. "Oh, so you remember his name, do you? Do you feel guilty about what you did? Tell me, Detective, what did you think when you saw that meteorite fall and strike him down? If you hadn't stopped him there in the park... my fiancé would still be alive."

His fiancée. Of course. Jowd remembered now, he and Cabanela had tracked down the deceased's significant other and made a formal apology to her. She had already heard about his death by then, been to the morgue and everything. What was her name? He couldn't quite remember right now. The woman had stood there, nodding mutely as she listened to their story. Her face was so pale, he recalled, and she looked so light and delicate, like a gust of wind might pick her up and carry her away. When it was over, she hadn't said a word, just shut the door in their faces.

"Is it her?" Cabanela was asking. "That man's fiancée?"

Jowd nodded in response. "Look, I understand you're angry and upset about what happened but why would you need to take my daughter?"

"Do you know how painful it is to lose somebody close to you? You just go through day after day knowing that you will never hear their voice or be able to touch them ever again. All you're left with are the memories but it's not good enough. You want them back, alive, so that you can hold them in your arms and tell them how much you love them. It's like a huge part of you is missing and you can barely go on without that part. You have no idea what I'm going through, Detective. It's so painful and I can't bear it."

Jowd sagged down into a chair and put his head in his hand. While she was talking, Cabanela had already gone and told some of the police officers to search for the woman. Would they be able to find her in time? "What do you want me to do about it? I'm really sorry about what happened to your husband but what's done is done. I can't turn back the clock and change anything."

"Tell me about Detective Cabanela. Is he your friend? Like, a really good friend?"

"What does that have to do with-"

"Just tell me."

"Yes." Indeed, they were close friends by now, close enough that he was willing to help Cabanela cover up his own mistakes. He had picked that gun up and handed it back to his partner. Nobody had been any the wiser.

"Excellent, that makes things much better. That detective doesn't even seem to have a girlfriend so I was having trouble thinking of something for him."

"Thinking of..." Jowd shook his head in bewilderment. This woman wasn't making any sense at all.

"Anyway, I would like to speak to him now. He's still there, isn't he?"

"Wait! But what about my daughter?"

"Don't annoy me, Detective. Just do what I ask and she will be unharmed for now, understand? It wouldn't take much effort at all to kill a small child."

A flash of red hot rage flashed through him as she mentioned the very idea of killing but he managed to keep himself under control, telling himself that getting angry at her wasn't going to help matters. With a shaky hand, he held the receiver out to Cabanela. "She wants to talk to you now."

Cabanela took the phone. "Why are you doing this?" he asked immediately. "His little girl has nothing to do with any of this."

"I hear you are a good friend of Detective Jowd's. Is that true?"

"Yes, you are correct."

"All I know about what happened on that day is what you told me, that you made a mistake during the interrogation and gave him good reason to run away. You were convinced my fiancé was a spy, weren't you?"

"I had to interrogate him. He was a suspect. It was just regulation."

"But you pushed him, didn't you? You caused him to lose all hope. How could you have been so cruel to him? Yomiel was a good man. He never did anything wrong in his life and you ended up persecuting him. You made him fear that his life was ruined and his only choice was to run for it. If it hadn't been for you, he would never have been in the park on that day."

"I know." Cabanela exhaled heavily. "Believe me, I know that. I was wrong."

"It hurts so much. With every breath I take, I think about Yomiel, about how much I miss him, and I can't bear it anymore. I want you two to suffer!" Her voice rose. "You took Yomiel away from me!"

"Please." His voice started to crack. "Don't do this. Just let her go."

"I can't make you feel the pain of losing someone you love. It doesn't seem like you have that special someone in your life. Instead, I'll let you live with the guilt of knowing you killed your good friend's daughter."

"No!" Cabanela screamed so loudly that everyone in the station looked at him. "Dammit, don't do that! You can't... please!"

Jowd stared intently at him, his face growing even paler.

"You can go up to her mother and tell her it was all her fault her daughter died. The poor woman, she's going to be devastated, and you'll have to watch her break down and cry. Maybe she'll curse your name and tell you how much she hated you..."

"Stop this! Just... just..." Cabanela trailed off, finding that he couldn't think of anything to say. It was no use telling her to let Kamila go. The woman just wasn't listening to him at all.

"Are you still clinging to that shred of hope, thinking that someone might find me in time and free the little girl from my clutches?"

Cabanela didn't respond. He stared ahead at the wall through the film of tears in his eyes. She was right. It was all his fault the man was dead. If only he had held back, if he hadn't done something so stupid as leave his gun there, then none of this would have happened. That girl would still be safe and sound in her home.

"It's too late."

The handset slipped away from his fingers and clattered against the table leg. Cabanela was frozen to the spot, unable to hear anything over the dull roar building up in his ears. Her words repeated over and over in his head.

Jowd picked up the handset. "What did you say to him? Tell me!"

All he heard for several seconds was the woman's heavy breathing and was about to speak again when she beat him to it.

"The last thing your little girl heard was 'It's all Daddy's fault.' Then I put my hand over her face until she stopped moving."

It felt as if a hand had wrapped tightly around his heart and squeezed tightly with its claws before tearing it right out of his chest. An anguished scream drowned out everything around him. It took him a few seconds to realise that scream was his own.

"No! No... you're lying! You couldn't have... not my little girl!"

"You'll find her in that motel at the edge of town. Now you know what it's like to lose a loved one, Detective Jowd... it hurts, doesn't it?"

There was a click and she was gone.

Jowd let the dial tone sound in his ears for a few seconds before he slowly replaced it. His eyes stared straight ahead, not focusing, as he struggled to deal with the awful truth.

It couldn't be true. He didn't want to believe it.

How could she have killed an innocent little girl? She was only two years old. Her life had barely even begun.

"Jowd?" Cabanela laid a hand on his shoulder.

"She's gone," Jowd whispered in a quivering voice. He bent his head and pressed his hands to his face. Tears leaked through his fingers. "My baby girl is gone."

"We're going to catch her. She'll be punished for this."

"That won't bring Kamila back!" Jowd shouted, causing Cabanela to jump. "Why... why did this have to happen? She was innocent! If only we hadn't messed up that day. Because of what we did, my daughter..." He trailed off, finding himself unable to speak anymore.

"You'll have to tell Alma," Cabanela said once a few minutes of silence had passed by. "She would want to hear it from you."

Jowd mutely nodded and rose from the chair. The distance back to where his wife sat was a short one but it felt like forever until he was standing in front of her. Alma looked up at his pale, tearstained face and she saw the despair in his eyes. He didn't even have to say anything.

"No, oh no!" Alma flung herself on him and burst in tears. Jowd clutched her in a tight embrace, closing his eyes as he buried his face in her hair.

Cabanela watched on, his face twisted in anguish. They had to bear the pain of losing their own child and it was all because of him. He lowered his head, staring at his feet while the tears slid down his face. Just yesterday he had been at their house and he'd seen that little girl smiling and laughing. Now she was dead. It was just unthinkable.

"Cabanela."

The voice jerked him out of his thoughts and he blinked rapidly. How long had he been standing there, just thinking to himself about that poor little girl? His gaze met Jowd's. "What is it?"

"I'm going to go and find her. Please stay with Alma."

"But, Jowd..." Alma spoke, looking uncertain.

"It's alright." Jowd looked at her sadly. "I'll have to see her eventually, won't I?" He turned away, heading to the exit. His footsteps were heavier than usual and his shoulders had a noticeable slump as he walked.

Cabanela put an arm over Alma's shoulders. "I'm so sorry." More than words could ever convey, he thought.

Alma didn't say anything, she just turned around and leaned against him. His other arm encircled her body and he held her there for as long as she needed him to.

Jowd took a police car and drove around until he located a motel just outside of the town. An elderly lady was sitting at the desk. She looked at him questioningly through her spectacles.

"I'm a police detective," he announced, showing her his badge. "Did you have a young woman with brown hair come in? She most likely had a girl of about two years old with her. The girl had purple hair."

The woman nodded. "Yes, she did come in here not too long ago and left a few minutes later without the child. I thought it was strange but I assumed the child must have been asleep by then."

"Which room?"

"Hold on." She glanced at the logbook. "Ah, yes, here we go. Room 109."

"Thank you." Jowd made his way up the stairs. As he walked down the corridor, he became aware of his heart racing even faster, causing his blood to pump furiously and roar in his ears. His palms were starting to grow clammy and his breaths grew short.

Any minute now, he would have to open that door and look inside, to find the death that awaited him. He couldn't bear the thought of having to see his daughter's tiny little body.

There was no backing out of it. He had come this far.

Jowd stood outside the door to Room 109 and took a deep breath.

Was that the sound of a television filtering through the door? The thought struck him as odd but he quickly dismissed it. Who cared if the television was on? The only thing that mattered now was his daughter.

His hand gripped the handle and he yanked it down, giving the door a small push. It yielded to his effort. Jowd released his breath and pushed the door further open.

There she was, sitting on the end of the bed and staring intently at the flickering television screen, entranced by the colourful cartoon characters. Kamila turned her head to look toward the door, revealing the chocolate smears streaked over her mouth and cheeks, then she saw her father and her face lit up in a bright smile. She clambered off the bed and ran toward him with her arms outstretched.

"Daddy!"

Jowd was rooted to the spot, staring at her with a stunned expression even as she stood there before him and raised her arms up. It took a few seconds for him to snap out of his trance.

"Kamila!" Jowd picked her up and wrapped her in a fierce hug. "Thank goodness... you're alive..."

Kamila wriggled around in his arms, her face screwing up in protest. "Too tight."

Jowd relaxed his grip. He could hardly believe it, that his little girl was well and alive. He was getting to hold her in his arms and hear her voice. He'd been so convinced the woman was telling the truth, had felt the pain of a father who lost his child, and it had been pure agony. Now that agony was washed away by a tide of sheer joy and relief.

"Let's go." Jowd headed back to the stairs. "Mommy's waiting for us."

Back at the police station, Alma and Cabanela were sitting down. Neither of them had spoken much since Jowd had left. Alma was gazing into space, her face frozen in a look of despair. Her eyes were dull and darkened by grief.

Cabanela caught sight of Jowd coming toward them and leaped up from his chair. He couldn't help letting out an incredulous gasp when he saw the still body in his arms. What in the world had he been thinking? He was supposed to call forensics, not haul the body all the way to the police station.

"Jowd, what are you thinking? You can't just take the body-"

"She's asleep."

"Wh-what?!"

Alma weakly rose from the chair and staggered over. "Asleep...? You mean she's alive?"

"Kamila, wake up," Jowd murmured into her ear. "Mommy's here."

Kamila's eyes fluttered open and her mouth opened up in a wide yawn. She turned her head, seeking her mother out. "Mommy?"

"Oh... oh!" Alma took the little girl from her father's arms and hugged her to her chest. "My baby. You're okay. It's okay now, Mommy's here. I'll never leave you alone again." She kissed the top of her head.

"I can't believe it." Cabanela turned toward Jowd. "But why would that woman have told us what she did?"

"She wanted us to feel pain," Jowd replied. "She didn't say for the rest of our lives."

***

In the dead of night, Sissel crept back into her home and tore the blonde wig from her head, shaking it until her wavy blond locks fell loose and spilled over her shoulders. She sank down into a chair and began to laugh. After a while, her laughs mixed with sobs.

She had fooled them good alright, made them think that little girl was really dead. Of course she couldn't have actually ended the life of that innocent child. It wasn't something she could bring herself to do.

Now that she had punished those detectives, there was only one more thing to do.

There was nothing left in this world for her. Her beloved fiancée was gone and it was time for her to go after him. She took a notepad and scrawled a hasty note - 'I'm coming to you, Yomiel.'

Sissel took a knife and ran her finger along the sharp blade, drawing blood. She tilted her head, staring at the red beads that welled up from the cut, and her mouth stretched from ear to ear.

"Yomiel."

The blade sliced across her throat, carving a scarlet smile, and she let her head fall to the table. Even as the blood pumped out of her and her vision grew dark, she never stopped smiling.


End file.
